Under The Table
by prettygirlxo
Summary: We all have one - a place where we feel safe; a place to meet up with buds to discuss what's going on; a place to hide when the world gets to be too much. For these two, that place is under a table. NOW A FIVE-PARTER!
1. part one

Austin rushed through the halls, bumping into only one person in his rush to get to his destination. He kept his cell phone slipped up his sleeve, perfectly aware of the school's policy on technology. But, he kept slipping it back out, checking for the light flashing to signify receiving a message from Ally.

_I'm in the library, A._

He stopped, checked over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear, and typed up a reply.

_Be there in two! Moon._

Austin slipped the phone back up his sleeve (thank God the school was air conditioned and his long sleeved tee allowed him to do this), and rushed back in the opposite direction to the library that he'd just passed.

Nodding hello to the librarian, Austin rushed through the shelves to the back of the large room, where he knew he'd find his friend.

Or so he thought.

_I'm here. Where are you? Moon._

He leaned against the history books, catching his breath and waiting for a reply. The library was always a good place to eat, or text, or even take a nap- all actions prohibited by school policy. But, supervision was almost non-existent here, so Austin considered it neutral and safe territory.

_Under the table in front of you. I see your shoes, A._

Austin laughed, noticing the sweater peeking out from under the table cloth for the first time. Austin crouched down and climbed under.

"What are you doing under here?" he asked, grabbing her sweater in- keeping their secret spot just that, a secret.

"I needed an escape. I have so many tests to write tomorrow and no time to study because my dad has me working all evening until the store closes at nine pm. Plus, I'm running dry on ideas for your new song. Oh! And I'm avoiding Dallas," the petite girl whispered. Her hair was all over the place, and she looked exhausted.

"When was the last time you slept?" he asked, grabbing a RedBull out from his backpack. He'd been saving it for later, but Ally seemed to need it more.

"Thanks," she said, popping it open and gulping it down. "I tried sleeping last night, but stress kept me up. So, I tried studying instead, but then realized that my stress made me forget my books from school too!" As she kept talking, her breath came out shorter and shorter. Austin frowned.

"Slow down on that stuff; I think the caffeine is having a negative effect on you," he grabbed the drink, setting it beside him. He grinned at Ally, hoping his calm would settle her down a bit. It seemed to work. "Now, let's work each of your problems out- one by one."

"Sounds good," Ally said, changing positions and throwing on her sweater. Austin noticed her shivering and realized just how tired she was- cold because of fatigue. He reluctantly handed her back the energy drink. She giggled.

Well, at least he'd made her laugh.

"Okay, what was your first problem?" he asked, sitting cross-legged, focusing on her seriously.

"My tests and lack of time I have to study because of work," she answered, just as serious. She curled her fists into the sleeves of her sweater, shivering again.

"Come here," Austin reached towards her, enveloping her in his arms. She could feel instant heat. "Better?" he asked, and she nodded against his chest. "Good. Dez and I will cover your shift at the music store. We've done it enough to know what to do," he said to the top of her head.

Although he liked and respected Mr. Dawson, he hated the fact that he took advantage of his daughter's kindness. She willingly gave up hours upon hours in her week for Sonic Boom, without thanks for praise.

"You guys shouldn't have to-" she started, but he cut her off.

"We want to. Now, what's your second issue?" he asked, sitting back against the wall. The weight of Ally's body against his was comfortable. He could sit like this forever.

"Umm… your song. I haven't come up with anything, and tomorrow is Friday. Trish is going to kill me," she said. Austin could feel her body relaxing though. Although her voice claimed stress, her body was almost limp against his, sleep setting in.

"Don't worry about it. We've had new songs or videos for months now. One Friday will not matter. Besides, we're getting a lot of fan mail asking questions. Maybe I'll just get Dez to film me answering some of them," Austin reassured her. When Ally didn't respond, he shook her gently. "You awake down there?" he asked. She laughed.

"Yes, I'm just being lulled to sleep by the vibrations of your voice from your chest to my back," she said. She tilted her head so that she could smile up at him.

"Cool! What's your last issue? Avoiding Dallas. Why?" he asked, finally getting to the part that interested him most.

When, again, she didn't respond, he gently tugged on a random strand of hair. "Al-ly," he sing-songed to her.

"We haven't been getting along lately. The time I spend with him seems, I don't know- wasted, I guess. We don't like any of the same things and while I go out of my way to try out the things he likes, he doesn't do the same for me," she cuddled herself deeper into Austin's embrace, suddenly sad as well as cold and tired.

Austin's hold on her tightened. He'd known Dallas was a dud from the start, but he didn't see it as his responsibility to say anything. Maybe he was wrong.

"He should at least try," he mumbled. She nodded against his chest.

"I know I should do something about it, but I just don't want to have to deal with it right now," she admitted. He could sense her slowly succumbing to the fatigue and decided to let her.

"You don't have to. Just take this period to relax. I'll wake you up when it's time for English," he said.

He sat there for a while, just listening to the deep sound of her breathing. The sounds of the library were muted: the occasional scratch of pen on paper; the clicking of a keyboard; the hum of the photocopier in the supply room. The noises of the library, paired with the comfortable weight of Ally sent Austin from day-dreamland to the real deal.

**a/n: **This is part one of four little short snippets of events occurring under a table. Inspired by the similar event featured in Club Owners and Quinceaneras. I do not own Austin and Ally!

-Kali xo.


	2. part two

"I don't even know half these people. I mean, who's that guy over there?" Austin whispered to Ally.

"He's our Valedictorian, Bobby!" Ally rolled her eyes at her friend. "You don't even know the people you're graduating with?"

Austin took a moment to look around the packed football field. His eyes squinted in the sunlight as he looked over the crowd of people. "No!" he shrugged. Ally laughed at him, leading them to heir seats. Last names kept the two from sitting together, but Ally's seat was only five rows ahead of Austin's, exactly in front of him.

Pretty soon, the seats started filling up. Dez and Trish were sitting in the section on the other side of the aisle, only a couple seats separating them. And then the band started the music indicating they would be receiving their diplomas.

"It was all so uniform and boring, and so Austin just sat there, staring at the back of Ally's head until it was his row's turn to stand up and take the stage.

The ceremony was over really fast: diplomas, speeches, the throwing of the hats (which they were told not to do, but did anyways). Then the students, parents and other members of the audience were led over to the other end of the football field where there were refreshments.

Austin was dragged from teacher to principal by his parents, who were ecstatic that their youngest son was finally done high school. He tried to remain polite and looking interested, but his eyes kept wandering over to Ally, who was standing next to her parents looking just as bored as he felt, playing with the skirt of her pretty yellow dress. He loved her in yellow.

Suddenly, before he could think about what he was doing, Austin left his parents talking to a teacher he was pretty sure he'd never had, he was walking across the lawn to Ally, and pulling her away from her own parents.

"What? Austin, where are we going? My par-"

"I need to get out of here. This whole thing is so stupid, Als. I want to talk to you- in private," Austin walked back and forth before realizing that there was nowhere private on a field full of people. Ally must have realized this too because, all of a sudden, she was the one pulling.

"C'mere," she said, pulling him under a table holding an assortment of pastries. Before following her under, Austin grabbed a couple.

"You think your own graduation is stupid?" Ally asked him, one eyebrow raised in question. She unbuckled her sandals and wiggled her newly free toes.

"Not the graduation. Well, yes- but it's not just the graduation. It's these people and the premature nostalgia and the fact that all of these people- most of them, I don't even know, by the way- smell of fear. Reek of it, actually. There's this uneasiness about them that I don't share. Do you?" he asked, suddenly seeming to realize Ally might not share his feelings about the future. But her snort of laughter made him breath a sigh of relief.

"Hell no!" she laughed, grabbing one of the lemon tarts he had managed to snag on his way under the table. "The girl next to me was so worried she might trip walking across the stage, she muttered to herself throughout the whole ceremony. I couldn't hear any of the speech!" she said, taking delicate bites of the pastry.

"Be glad you didn't. It was just a bunch of the same cliché- we have learned more about life than about history or English, blah blah. And he kept mentioning something about Mr. House and the cafeteria lady that I was completely lost on-"

"Austin! Where were you this entire school year? Mr. House used the cafeteria lady, Esmerelda, in an experiment in one of his chemistry lectures and she ended up with burnt off eyebrows. How did you miss that?"

"I don't know. I guess I just attend class, and go home to my music. I didn't really invest much in this place. Which is why I guess I'm so glad about leaving," Austin shrugged, leaning back on his hands. His thoughts took over him for a second, trying to recall anything he might have heard about the cafeteria lady, but he couldn't recall a thing.

"Wow, I never realized that about you before, but you're right. How did you even pass your classes with your head in the clouds?" Ally laughed, leaning back like Austin.

"Hey! I remained a straight B student all throughout high school, thank you very much!" he said indignantly. But Ally's smile broke his face into a smile. "I even got offered a scholarship to U Miami," he mumbled, playing with a blade of grass. This news caused Ally to sit up fast. She almost hit her head off the table, but she didn't even notice.

"WHAT?" she whisper-screamed. Austin didn't meet her gaze.

"They offered me a scholarship for their pre-law program. I guess my marks were higher in the written classes than usual. I turned them down, obviously," Austin said, brushing non-existent dirt off his dress pants. Ally's hand came down on his, stopping his movements.

"Look, Austin. I know that you have your head set on music. And I know you're already pretty big in the state, and now that school's out, you can travel around. But are you sure you don't want to try U of Miami? At least for a semester, just to see if it's something you could love as much as music?" Ally asked. She knew she had to be extremely gentle with Austin about this topic.

"I'm not going to do it, Als. Look at how I was all year here. I walked around like a zombie. The only time I felt alive was with you guys and playing my music. I can't throw away any more time. I'm still up for our plan. Are you having second doubts?" Austin asked, sitting up too and looking at Ally seriously. Earlier in the semester, a scout from Boston's Berklee School of Music had scouted her for the early admission program at their school. But she had politely declined. Now he wondered if she had rethought her choice.

"No," she said, firmly. She smiled at him, no doubt in her eyes and Austin's heart exploded, realizing that in twelve short hours, they would be in a packed up car, and hitting the road.

"Good, 'cause I couldn't do this without you," he said seriously, squeezing her hand. She squeezed back.


	3. part three

"Mr. Moon- excellent acceptance speech tonight!"

"Austin- congrats buddy!"

"Austin Moon, how dare you steal the award away from me! No- I'm just kidding. Congratulations!"

The young man could barely keep up with the people coming in at him from all sides, wanting to congratulate him or slap him on the back . And he didn't pretend not to notice the few glowers he received amongst the people he beat out for the Best New Artist Award.

The Grammy's! Austin couldn't believe that he got to attend, let alone leave with an award. The camera had caught the Austin that everyone came to know and love- charming and confident, but humble. Inside however, he was a bundle of nerves. Thank God he had Ally beside him to keep him from passing out.

Speaking of…

"Have you seen Ally?" Austin asked his personal assistant for the night, Richard. The young boy shook his head nervously and Austin smiled at him. He didn't know what he needed a personal assistant for, but Trish had insisted upon it- for his image. And besides, the teenager seemed to have come in handy plenty of times this evening. "Why don't you go and enjoy some of the food, Rick."

Austin watched the boy walk over the one of the many tables laden down with an abundance of food. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the faded pink colour of Ally's dress. He reached out, and with one swift motion, pulled her to his side. She looked up at him, laughing.

"Yes?" she asked, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"I've missed you. Where'd you go?"

"I was talking to Taylor Swift. She wants to collaborate, so we were exchanging contact information," she said, leading him over to the wall so that they could talk privately. "Isn't that amazing. I mean, I-"

"Austin! Ally! Congratulations!" called out someone from across the room, waving over to them.

"Do you know that person, Ally?" Austin asked, squinting at the small man, but not registering a name or memory.

"No, do you?" she asked, chewing on her lip nervously.

"No. But continue what you were saying. Maybe he'll get the hint and stay away," Austin said, turning back to Ally and looking seriously down at her. She nodded and continued.

"I was saying, I cannot believe that Taylor Swift wants to work with us! And John Mayer was flirting with me over by the salad bar!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. Austin laughed uncomfortably; he'd heard rumours about that guy before…

"Mr. Moon, Miss. Dawson, how are you two tonight?" asked a pale, dark haired women. Austin and Ally looked at one another, both of their faces blank. Ally spoke on behalf of both of them.

"We're fine, thanks!" And as soon as the lady was at their side, she was gone.

"This is insane!" Austin shook his head. "C'mere!" He led Ally over to a table in the corner, and looked around to make sure nobody else was on their way over to them. When the coast was clear, they both clambered under.

"Thanks," Ally said, adjusting her dress and leaning her side against the wall. It was the first time all evening Austin had gotten a good look at her and he realized that she looked tired.

"Are you all right, Als?" he asked, reaching up to brush a stray hair out of her face. She smiled at him, leaning into his touch.

"I'm fine. It's just exhausting, having to make conversation with people I don't even know. Is that selfish of me?" again, her bottom lip caught itself between her teeth, and she looked worried. Austin wished he could wipe the worry away.

"Not selfish at all! I feel the exact same way. Don't get me wrong- I am so grateful for everything. And I am blown away that I won tonight-" at that, he grinned so big, his face could have broken. He was happy to see his excitement reflected in Ally's face. "-but I'd rather celebrate just the two of us. With Dez and Trish of course!"

"Agreed. And do you know how long it takes to get prepared for a night at the Grammy's? Supposedly, all day. I've been up since six am, getting waxed, manicured and pedicured, hair done, makeup done, clothes on.. everything you could ever think of!" At that, she laughed, leaning her head against the wall and covering her face with a hand.

"You look gorgeous though," Austin said seriously, causing a faint blush to cover her cheeks.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Moon," she said. He shrugged.

"These kinds of events are more about women and fashion. I threw this suit on after eating a bucket of fried chicken. There was no waxing or anything you suffered through today," he mirrored her actions and leaned his head against the wall too. Their knees were touching, and he was well aware of the speed of his heartbeat in his chest.

Her giggle was beautiful music in his ears, his favourite song of the evening thus far.

"We won," he whispered to her, smiling. She nodded, her eyes shining again. "It took seven years, but we're here. Under a table at a Grammy after party," he laughed, shaking his head at the thought.

"Seven years of hard work and being rejected by every label out there. Seven years of begging to play live on a radio station or to open up for a nobody band. Seven years of late nights and early mornings; of writing sessions lasting three days and touring lasting three years," Ally whispered back.

"Damn, that was poetic. You should have written my acceptance speech for me," Austin joked, inching closer to her. He was now feeling that familiar feeling of fatigue.

"Nah, yours was good. I can't believe you thanked me twice!"

"I wasn't thinking straight; I was so excited, I forgot the first mention," he lied. He knew exactly what he was saying up there. "It doesn't matter though- I'd be nowhere right now without you."

"Probably still in that bar back in New Mexico," Ally laughed, scooting closer too.

"Probably," he agreed. They sat in silence, just listening to the sounds of the party on the other side of the tablecloth. "We should probably get back out there."

"We should," Ally sighed. Neither made a move.

"But I don't want to," Austin smiled. He shifted so that his back was against the wall. Ally moved to do the same, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Me neither."


	4. part four

Austin's heart was pounding heavily in his chest and sweat was beading on his forehead. _Where the hell was she? _

"Austin!" came a shrill voice from behind him and he closed his eyes, begging for all the patience in the world before turning around.

"Mrs. Stone," he smiled, trying to look cool and collected.

"Austin, have you seen her?" the older woman asked, a hand on her hip and anger in her eyes. Phil's mother had always had something against Ally, and her disappearance at the rehearsal dinner did not help matters.

"I have already told you, Mrs. Stone- if I had seen her I would have told you where she was already!" Austin was quickly becoming frustrated as well as anxious. Before he could say something he'd regret, he took off back in the direction he'd been heading in before.

Soon enough, the blond man found himself in another banquet hall, decorated for a different wedding rehearsal dinner. He was about to turn around and leave when a thought occurred to him.

Starting at the table closest to him, Austin peeked under every table in the room, lifting up the heavy and expensive table cloths and breathing hope that Ally would be under each one. He'd almost given up by the time he reached the last one, in the back of the room.

He didn't even have to lift the material to know she was under there. There was this sensation that ran through his body whenever Ally was near. His fingertips would tingle and his stomach twisted in knots. And that's exactly what was happening as he neared the table and climbed under.

"Hey," he said gently. He was walking around the subject unsteadily, unsure of how to ask the questions that needed asking.

"Hey," Ally replied. Her knees were pulled to her chest, her beautiful purple dress flowing around her feet. Austin noted the redness around her eyes and brushed a stray tear off her cheek. She tried to smile at him, but her smile was broken.

"What's going on, Als?" Austin asked, scooting closer to her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He held his breath waiting for her answer.

"I'm not quite sure. I mean, I was good with this whole thing up until this morning. Or last night. I'm not quite sure when it happened," she said, another sob wracking her body.

"Hey! Don't cry. Just talk to me. Tell me what happened that made you feel this way. That made you run away from your own wedding rehearsal dinner before toasts were even started," he asked his friend, rubbing her arm.

"I'm not sure. Trish threw me an awesome bachelorette party. And we were all out on the town, having a fun drunken time. We were bar hopping and they were making fun of me for getting married and 'becoming an old maid.' And then someone made a comment that instantly made me feel sick and I went home to sleep. And I thought that I might feel better this morning, but I didn't. I actually felt worse. As I was in that room earlier, hearing everyone talk about the marriage and their excitement over the relationship, and I started to feel suffocated. Austin, what's wrong with me?"

As she spoke, Austin's heart rate did not slow down. In fact, it sped up. He knew what it sounded like, but he wasn't so sure he should be the one to tell Ally straight out that marrying Phil sounded like a mistake.

"Take a couple of breaths. In and out. Let me know when you're feeling a little bit better, okay?" Austin said, continuing to rub circles on Ally's arm and guiding her breathing. Ally took a few moments to follow his instructions, then nodded.

"Okay, I feel better.

"Good. Now, how do you feel when you think about marrying Phil?" Austin asked, paying close attention to her reactions. As soon as he mentioned his name, Ally's breathing picked up and she groaned.

"Like I'm going to puke," she whined. She placed her head against Austin's chest and started crying again.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, rocking her back and forth. He bit his lip, knowing what he wanted to hear.

"Run away," she mumbled. Austin laughed, looking down into the brunette's eyes. He stopped abruptly when he saw that she wasn't joking.

"Ally!" he exclaimed, separating her limbs from his.

"C'mon, Austin. You owe me one! Remember Cindy?" she asked, playing with a loose hem on the skirt of her dress.

"Cindy was an old girlfriend. Not a fiancé!" Austin said incredulously. He could not believe his ears. "Ally, don't do something you'll regret."

"The only way I'll regret it is if you don't come with me," she said, in all seriousness. Silence filled the air between them and Austin had to remind himself to breathe. "You know what they said to me last night that made me feel sick? Trish got a little too drunk and told me she was sure that I'd end up marrying you. Guess what, Austin? I always thought so too." Ally troubled her lip between her teeth, an unasked question in her eyes.

Austin's world seemed to stop for a moment. All sound outside from underneath this table became muted as his mind worked overtime. Suddenly, and without a second thought, Austin held out his hand.

"You're sure?" he asked, searching Ally's eyes for any sign of doubt. There was none. She nodded and smiled up at him, her eyes shining in excitement. He smiled back. "Then follow me."

He pulled her behind him, and led her out from under the table. They were racing through the foyer of the huge, fancy building where Mrs. Stone insisted upon having the rehearsal dinner when they heard a shriek from behind them.

"Ally! There you are darling. Where are you off to now?"

"Nowhere, I am- I'm just- I mean, I'm…" Ally stumbled through her words, her nerves getting the better of her. Mrs. Stone always caused her to draw blanks and feel like less than who she was: Ally Dawson, award winning song writer.

"We are just getting something out of the car. We'll be back in a moment," Austin stepped in. He started leading Ally away again, but Mrs. Stone caught up to them.

"What exactly could you have left in the car during your rehearsal dinner?" her voice had dropped any semblance of nice that it had previously held.

"A gift, just for you Mrs. Stone. I think you'll love it!" Ally cried, gleefully. And, she would enjoy it. With Ally gone, maybe then Phil could marry the beautiful Madison from the country club.

The pair jumped into Austin's car without looking back and drove off.

"God, I wish I could change out of this dress. I hate this colour on me!" Ally exclaimed, slipping her shoes off.

"You look lovely. But, I do prefer you in yellow," Austin said, smiling over to his… Ally. His Ally. It had a nice ring to it. "Nevermind! I love you in any colour. I guess I just love you." His face turned a slight shade of pink at his admittance.

"Well, I guess I just love you too," Ally giggled back.


	5. part five

It was Ally's favourite kind of day: the sun was out and shining, and the family had decided to spend the day outside. Austin was home from tour and the two of them were strolling through the farmer's market, hand in hand.

"It smells so good, walking through here," she said to Austin, grinning up at him in the sun.

"Don't forget to grab some of those peaches on our way out. They were so good last time!" he said, licking his lips.

"You and Alex really liked them, but Annie wasn't a fan of them," she replied, looking around the market for a different fruit Annie would enjoy.

Suddenly, Ally's eyes landed on someone familiar, and she ducked.

"What?" Austin asked, ducking along with her. He was shocked to see his wife acting so strange, and it surprised him further when she crawled towards the table closest. "Ally, no. Tell me what's going on," he begged, unwilling to follow her under the wooden frame holding up different coloured beans.

After thinking for a split second, Austin stood back up and walked towards the candy section, in search of Annie and Alex. Taking their hands, he led them over to the table where Ally was hiding, and motioned for them to go under.

"But, why?" Alex asked, looking at Austin like he had three heads. He just sighed.

"Just do it. I'll explain later." When the two of them were safely under, Austin stood back up and decided to explore. Something, or someone was here, and it was bothering Ally.

Walking around the market, Austin decided to buy those peaches and looked for something Annie would love, settling on some fresh blueberries. As he was paying for a bouquet of daisies, Ally's favourite kind of flower, he felt a presence next to him.

"Hello, Austin," Phillip said. Austin's stomach dropped and he immediately felt like hiding under that table with the three others. After running from Ally's wedding rehearsal dinner, neither of them had spoken to Phillip again, aside from Ally leaving him a message on his home phone, explaining that she couldn't marry him.

"Hey there, Phillip!" Austin replied, his voice sounding too high, even to his own ears.

"You remember Madison? My wife?" he said, motioning to the pretty blonde at his side. Madison looked as put together as ever, except she also looked like she wanted to disappear through the floor. Austin smiled at her- he knew exactly how she felt.

"Yes, Madison. How are you two? Married, you say?" he answered, tugging at his tee's bottom. Austin's mind was working in overdrive, trying to come up with a good enough excuse to leave this conversation, immediately.

"Yes, quite recently. Actually, that brings me to what I want to say to you, Austin. Thank you. Thank you for taking Ally off my hands. We all knew that it wasn't meant to be between us, and we all also knew that Austin and Ally would end up together in the end. Thanks to Ally running away, I finally admitted to my feelings for Madison, and I'm happy now," Phillip said, beaming down at Austin.

Austin's stomach returned to where it was supposed to be, but his mouth went dry. He couldn't believe his ears. But, he agreed with him- wholeheartedly.

"Well, you're welcome. But, thank you as well. I mean, you could have made it way more difficult on us, but you let us be. And I both appreciate and respect that."

The three of them stood there, awkward, all the words that needed to be said having already been said.

"Well, good luck in the future," Madison said finally, leading Phillip away. Once they had left, Austin could breathe again. He continued to stand there, revelling in what he had just learned and heard.

Over the years, him and Ally had assumed that Phillip had been too angry or too heartbroken to come after her, accepting his fate. They had only brought him up when the conversation called for it. It wasn't that they were ashamed, it was that they felt guilty for having to crush him to find their own happiness. And now it turned out that their happiness had equalled the opportunity for finding his own.

Strolling over to the table where he had left Ally, Annie and Alex, Austin ducked down under it to join them.

"Dad! Can you please tell us why we're under here now? And what's wrong with mom?" Alex asked, consuming all the attitude of a ten year old. Austin looked over to Ally and noticed her wide eyes and panicked face.

"Ally, babe, it's fine. I talked to him, and he's with Madison now and he's happy. He actually thanked me for stealing you away," Austin reassured her, placing the fruits and flowers on the floor at his feet. Ally's mouth closed and her eyes blinked.

"Madison? Really? Well.. that's good then," she said, colour returning to her cheeks. She smiled at him. "I just saw him, and I freaked out. I haven't seen him since… since…"

"Since your wedding rehearsal dinner?" Austin asked, laughing. He picked up one of the plump peaches in the basket, and threw it to Alex.

"Woah! Wait! Who are you talking about?" Alex asked, his eyes, the same colour as his mother's, wide with curiousity. Sometimes, Austin could not believe how much he resembled his mother, with the thick, dark hair and petite frame.

"Phillip. Remember, we told you about him a little while ago?" Ally said, picking up a handful of blueberries for her and Annie to share. If Alex looked like a mini Ally, then Annie looked just like Austin. For five years old, anyone could tell that she was going to be a beautiful woman: blonde hair, blue eyes and the charm of Austin Moon.

"The man you almost married?" the boy asked, peach juice dribbling down his chin.

"Yes, well he was here, just now. And your mom was afraid to talk to him, so I did it for her. But things seem to be okay between us. He found another woman to love, and I have your mother." Austin threw a napkin from his pocket over to his son, trying to keep him as neat as possible. Alex had already gotten grass stains on his knees from playing soccer earlier in the day.

"But he loved mommy?" Annie asked, crawling over and sitting in Austin's lap. He smiled down at her.

"He thought he did. But he was mistaken," Ally answered, passing Annie another blueberry.

The family of four continued to snack under the table, telling stories of Austin and Ally falling in love and continuing their careers together, getting married and having children. After a while, Alex started laughing.

"What is it?" Ally asked, ruffling his hair.

"We're under a table in the middle of the farmer's market. That's so weird!" he said, his nose scrunching up.

Austin and Ally's eyes met and they roared with laughter.

"Under the table is where your mother and I meet up if we need a break from the world or if we need somewhere to hide," Austin said, grinning broadly. Ally nodded, still chuckling to herself.

"It's kind of our _place_."

"It's all of our _place_ now, right daddy?" Annie asked, looking up through her bangs at her father. He smirked down at her.

"I guess so. Ally?"

"Sure seems like it," she sighed, collecting the garbage and running through lyrics in her head. _Under the table_. Hmmm, it had a nice ring to it.


End file.
